Cultural Leave
Metro North Health recognises and values the cultural diversity of our workforce. In support of this commitment, provisions are in place to ensure staff can observe days of cultural, ceremonial, and religious significance, fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace.
There are two types of cultural leave available to eligible employees:
Cultural Leave
As stated in the Special Leave Policy C7 (QH-POL-231), an employee who is required by their cultural, religious and/or ethnic background to participate in significant cultural, ceremonial and/or religious obligations is provided reasonable opportunity to do so by Queensland Health.
This may include:
- Ceremonies or obligations related to an employee’s cultural, religious, or ethnic background
- Events such as tombstone openings, smoking of houses, initiation ceremonies, Coming of the Light, Sorry Day, and other ceremonies recognised by Elders
- Religious observances or cultural heritage events specific to an employee’s background
Employees can access either:
- Up to 10 days of unpaid special leave per year (non-cumulative) or
- Paid annual recreational leave
Employees are asked to provide as much notice as possible, with a minimum of one week, and to clearly state the reason and type of leave being requested in their application.
For more information, refer to:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Cultural Leave
Available to employees classified under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce stream under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (No. 3) 2025, offers up to 10 days of paid cultural leave per year (non-cumulative). It supports participation in cultural obligations and community events aligned with heritage and identity, including:
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander lore, customs, or traditions
- Sorry Business and related purposes
- Community cultural events such as Mabo Day, NAIDOC Week, Reconciliation Week, Coming of the Light, and Sorry Day
This leave will appear in myHR leave balance as Cultural Leave HWF and can be taken in addition to Cultural Leave under HR Policy Special Leave C7.
For more information refer to:
Sad News and Sorry Business Guideline
Metro North Health acknowledge the cultural obligations related to Sad News and Sorry Business for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees.
The Sad News and Sorry Business (Bereavement and Grief) Leave Guideline 010649 outlines the paid and unpaid leave entitlements available to Metro North Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees experiencing bereavement and grief.
Sad News and Sorry Business practices may require multiple absences from work across the relevant observance period, the leave entitlements outlined above do not have to be taken in one singular block of leave but can be accessed as single hours or days across the observance period.
There is also a Sad News Sorry Business Toolkit which summarises specific resources internal and external support services that may be utilised throughout the Sad News Sorry Business to support and assist Metro North Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members and managers.
- Sad News and Sorry Business (Bereavement and Grief) Leave Guideline 010649
- Sad News Sorry Business Toolkit
- Manager factsheet
- Staff factsheet
How to Access Leave
- You can apply for cultural leave in myHR by selecting either:
- ‘Cultural Leave’ (HR Policy C7 Special leave) under the special leave category. The leave request must indicate the type of leave being requested (i.e. paid recreation or unpaid special leave); or
- ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health Workforce Cultural Leave’ (Agreement) under the special leave category.
- Your Line Manager and Delegate will review and action the application.
- Once approved, the leave is processed accordingly.
Important: the delegation for approval of cultural leave and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Cultural Leave can be found in the Metro North Health HR Sub-delegations Manual.
Escalation
It is important for managers to note that staff accessing this leave are experiencing loss and grief. It is expected that managers will be guided by the Metro North Health values and act with compassion, respect and integrity while supporting staff during a difficult time.
Where an employee and manager may not be able to reach a solution on accessing leave for Sad News and Sorry Business, the issue may be escalated through engaging with a support person to help employee discuss needs with manager and come to a reasonable outcome.
Both manager and employee may consider seeking advice from People and Culture and/or the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Team to identify options and potential solutions which will meet the needs of both parties. This may include discussions relating to taking annual leave at half pay or supporting the employee to consider flexible work options. Refer: HR Policy C51 – Annual / recreation leave (health.qld.gov.au) and Policy C5: Flexible working arrangements
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander considerations
Metro North Health is committed to ensuring our staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver care in culturally capable ways and that our work environments are at all times culturally respectful and supportive of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff as guided by the Queensland Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Capability Framework 2010-2033 and Metro North Health Equity Strategy 2025-2028.
These guidelines meet a commitment to the Metro North Health Equity Strategy 2025-2028 and respects, protects, and promotes the cultural rights of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples as outlined in the Human Rights Act 2019.
The guidelines address Key Performance Area 4.4C (Our Journey Towards Health Equity: Metro North Health Equity Implementation and Evaluation Plan 2022-2025) – Develop processes and systems so that Sad News or Sorry Business is understood and accommodated for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and educate non-Indigenous people about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff ways of being and doing. Events | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health | Metro North Health